Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson checked off one box with the team’s playoff win over the Titans, but Saturday night’s loss to the Bills showed there’s still things left to do.
Baltimore’s defense kept a potent Bills offense in check, but four trips inside the Bills’ 30-yard-line while Jackson was in the game ended with just three Ravens points. The last of those trips saw Taron Johnson pick off a Jackson pass in the end zone and return it for a touchdown and the next play would be Jackson’s last of the evening.
Jackson left after he suffered a concussion, which wide receiver Willie Snead called “just a sucky moment” in his postgame press conference. Jackson was held in check as a runner and went 14-of-24 for 162 yards through the air in a game that Snead believes will be the impetus for better things in the future.
“I just think he’ll look back at the whole season -- not just this game, the whole season -- and he’ll make those adjustments that he needs to do to be an elite quarterback; an even more elite quarterback,” Snead said. “He is an elite runner, an elite passer, but there are steps he can take, better strides that he can take, and he knows that. That’s the competitor in him to want to get better each and every offseason, to fix the little things that his game needs improvement on and continue to get better as a passer. I think if he knuckles down on that part of his game and really reaches his full potential in that area, then the sky is the limit for Lamar, man. It’s just a matter of time. So, it’s really on him. I think this game is going to be a wake-up call for him, hopefully this offseason. So, we’ll see what he does next year.”
The Ravens were 32nd in the league in passing offense this season and their shortcomings in that area helped bring their season to an end on Saturday night. There are other things the Ravens need to address to change that performance, but Snead being right about Jackson would be a real boost to their chances of avoiding another disappointing end to a season.